[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 18164-18165]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING ANN RICHARDS

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise this morning on a very sad note 
for all of us who knew a very special, wonderful woman by the name of 
Governor Ann Richards. Last night she left this world, but she left 
behind a tremendous spirit that many of us will carry on. She was the 
kind of woman who could walk into a room and light it up, no matter 
where she was. She was a Governor of Texas, and I know that State knew 
and loved her well, but the rest of the country also loved her.
  I was privileged to know this wonderful, compassionate human being. 
She made me laugh, she made me think, and she made me remember what I 
cared most about in this country. Her loss is a tragic one certainly 
for the State of Texas, certainly for the country, but absolutely for 
every one of us who knew her.
  I know many people will be speaking throughout the next several days 
about the loss of Governor Richards, but I just wanted, on behalf of so 
many of us who cared for her so much, to express our condolences to all 
of her family, to her friends, to everyone who knew her, and to let 
them know that we will not forget and we will continue to carry her 
message of hope and passion as we continue in our lives.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, how much time do the Democrats have 
remaining?
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. There is 10 minutes remaining.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 4 
minutes of that time, if I could.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I would like to take a few minutes to 
add to Senator Murray's heartfelt and beautiful tribute to Governor Ann 
Richards. Many of us woke up this morning to read the newspaper and 
were stunned by the news that Governor Richards had passed away.
  Many of us, of course, knew of her illness and that she struggled 
with it and fought it bravely, but I am not sure how many understood 
how close she was to death's door.
  As a neighbor of hers who grew up right over the border from Texas, 
and

[[Page 18165]]

as a young woman in the legislature, Ann Richards was at the top of the 
list of women I looked to early in my career. I did not have too many 
women to look to because there were just not that many women in public 
office in this country in 1976, the year when Governor Richards started 
her political career as Travis County Commissioner. There were 604 
women in state legislatures nationwide. Not only was she an outstanding 
leader but she was an extraordinary administrator. I remember her days 
as State treasurer of Texas and followed many of her guidelines to 
leadership in trying to manage the budget of Texas. I followed that 
lead in trying to manage the budget of Louisiana. She showed that women 
could not only hold county commissioner seats, but high-level executive 
offices, managing finances and money. She become Governor of one of the 
largest States in America and served with extraordinary ability.
  But more than just her service to the public at large, which was 
tremendous to the State of Texas and the country, Ann Richards 
encouraged women to think of things that had never been thought of 
before that women could to serve in corporate board rooms and as 
Governors and, hopefully, one day as President of the United States. 
And today, thanks to women like her, 1,686 women serve in state 
legislatures across the country. Without women such as Ann Richards, 
those dreams would never materialize or would be decades away.
  There was a quote in the paper that I chuckled at because Governor 
Richards said once she didn't want to be remembered for keeping a clean 
house. She thought that women should be remembered for things greater 
than just how well they could vacuum how well they could cook or how 
well they could do things associated with the home.
  While I do not in any way diminish the contribution that we make as 
wives and as mothers or diminish any of the things that we do inside of 
our homes that keep our families happy and keep our society going, I 
want to say emphatically that I agree with her. I hope women who are 
born and grow up today really think about what they want their 
tombstone to say.
  Ann was always that kind of woman. She was born not only to be all a 
woman could be, but all a person could be, all a leader could be. Very 
few women in the generations that I am familiar with have accomplished 
that as well as she did. It is with great sadness that we recognize her 
passing, and I am sure there will be a more formal recognition in the 
Senate Chamber among men and women remembering the contributions this 
extraordinary American made to our country, to the world, to women and 
girls everywhere.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sununu). The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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